Zoodles (zucchini) salad with sesame and peanut

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 m.-large zucchini
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, light
• 150 g peanuts, unsalted
• ½ tsp sambal oelek
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

simple and vegetarian, with an Asian touch

Wash the zucchini and DO NOT peel it to ensure a beautiful color and to preserve the vitamins. Cut off the end on one side so that there is a 90° angle between the cut surface and the fruiting body of the zucchini. The straighter and more perfect the cut, the more even the zoodles will be. Place the zucchini as perfectly centered as possible on the spiralizer and cut everything into spaghetti pieces in a large bowl. Then roughly chop the peanuts in a mortar and pestle or in a freezer bag with a hammer and roast them in a pan on high heat until lightly browned, then stir them over the zucchini. Toast the sesame seeds separately from the peanuts, as they burn more quickly and require a little more attention. If you like, you can add some black sesame seeds for color and flavor. Add the sesame seeds to the zucchini. Mix the liquid ingredients and salt in a cup and pour them over the zucchini. Mix everything together. After 10 minutes, mix and taste again. Season the dressing if necessary; decide whether or not more salt is needed. The salad tastes best when served unrefrigerated and one hour after preparation. It can be stored overnight, but this will cause the zucchini to lose a lot of water, which will dilute the dressing. If stored overnight, store the dressing and the zucchini/nut/sesame mix separately. If you prefer a lighter dish, use the peanuts more sparingly or replace them with other spicy ingredients, such as smoked tofu that has been fried lightly without any fat. The salad becomes even more interesting if you add some fresh chili slices, mint, spring onions and/or cilantro. I like to eat the salad with fish or shrimp, fried silken tofu, as a side dish to Asian soups, as a light starter or summer snack. If you like, you can also eat the salad slightly warm; to do this, briefly steam the zoodles in a steamer.